Chef's Recipes

Swede soup with pickled hazelnuts and turnips

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for swede soup with pickled hazelnuts and turnips by Colin Fassnidge from Sydney restaurant Four in Hand.

By Colin Fassnidge
  • 30 mins preparation
  • 1 hr cooking plus pickling, cooling
  • Serves 6
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Swede soup with pickled hazelnuts and turnips
“This soup makes the best use of winter vegetables.” You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

  • 50 gm butter, coarsely chopped
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 kg swedes (about 4 large), coarsely chopped
  • 1.5 litres chicken stock (6 cups)
  • 125 ml pouring cream (½ cup)
  • To serve: celery leaves, shaved radish and micro radish leaves
  • For drizzling: olive oil
Pickled hazelnuts
  • 150 gm hazelnuts
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon quill
  • 100 ml white wine vinegar
  • 50 gm white sugar
Pickled turnips
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon quill
  • 200 ml white wine vinegar
  • 100 ml white sugar
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 12 baby turnips, trimmed

Method

Main
  • 1
    For pickled hazelnuts, preheat oven to 180C. Roast hazelnuts on a tray until golden (5-7 minutes). Cool, rub with a tea towel to remove skins, set aside. Dry-roast spices (10-20 seconds). Combine vinegar, sugar and 300ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add spices, bring to the boil, add hazelnuts, reduce heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes. Cool in liquid, drain (reserve liquid), coarsely chop nuts, return to liquid, then refrigerate until pickled (overnight).
  • 2
    For pickled turnips, dry-roast spices (10-20 seconds). Combine vinegar, sugar and 300ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add spices, thyme and baby turnips, bring to the boil, cook until turnips are tender (3-4 minutes), then cool completely in liquid to pickle (1 hour).
  • 3
    Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and sauté until tender (5 minutes). Add swede and chicken stock, season to taste, then cook until very tender (30-40 minutes). Transfer to a blender in batches, add cream and remaining butter, blend until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve, season to taste, keep hot.
  • 4
    Just before serving, reheat turnips in liquid over medium heat, then strain (discard liquid) and toss with celery leaves, radish and micro radish leaves. Serve soup hot, scattered with salad and pickled hazelnuts, drizzled with olive oil.

Notes

This recipe is from the August 2010 issue of .
Drink Suggestion: A young Rhône blend (marsanne/roussanne) from Australia or France. Drink suggestion by Stephen Craig

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